Simple Yet Gourmet

For Brynlee's 5th birthday (I still can't believe I have a 5 year old!) she wanted an actual cake. I've gotten away with just doing cupcakes up to this point but no longer. So after throwing out several ideas she decided on this one. I'll admit, I wasn't too disappointed :). She is definitely a girl after my own heart. For the cake I chose a classic chocolate layer cake with the chocolate frosting from the Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes . After frosting the cake we just stuck the whoppers on. So easy but oh my gosh, so GOOD!! Extremely rich and fudgy. I could only handle a small sliver at a time, but you better believe we were slicing pieces off for the entire next week. It was that  good.

Ok, so by now you know I love breakfast.  I think that must be my favorite meal to find recipes for.  There is so much out there and so many variations to the simple ols time favorites.  Plus I am always try to make something new and fun for breakfast each week to start the kids off with. These happen to be our weekend treat just because they are on the sweet side. I found this recipe from one of my favorite blogs to visit. These muffins are moist and a little more dense with the ricotta cheese, making them easier to eat because they don't fall apart.  Also, what a great way to use up the extra ricotta cheese from lasagna last night! Great treat on a Saturday morning with some scrambled eggs and a tall glass of orange juice!

This has become my "go to" bread recipe for my Italian dishes.  It takes less than one hour from start to finish to make this recipe.  I serve it warm with a dish of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of roasted garlic salt.  If you are so lucky to have an oil oil store near by, Apricot vinegar is my kids favorite for dipping. Mine happens to be the Garlic olive oil or the Sicilian Lemon vinegar.  Give them a try, you may never go back to plain oil and vinegar again! Added note, the first time I made this I didn't brush the loaves with an egg wash before putting them in the oven (as you can see from the picture).  Not a big deal, but they didn't ever get a nice brown top, so I did this the next time and they turned out picture perfect.  I highly suggest this final step!

Here is a super easy and fun breakfast idea.  My kids love pancakes, but get bored with the same old thing.  Well, what a fun ideas to have a pancake cup, full of fresh fruit and topped with a little homemade whip cream.  Maddie is not a pancake fan, but really enjoyed mixing her favorite fruits and have these for breakfast.  Other ways to serve these would be with scrambled eggs and sausage, butter and syrup, or just plain as an after school snack!  Endless possibilities.